Friday, February 10, 2012

Drugstore 101

Rite Aid

Before you pay- sign up for UP Rewards

·Using your Wellness card, you can earn dollars off a single item.You also earn 1 point for every dollar you spend.UP rewards print at the bottom of your receipt.These expire in 2 weeks so watch your dates.If you include your phone number, they can look up your number without the card.

Rite Aid offers many deals each month in the form of single check rebates (SCR). A list of the rebates for the current month can be found in the rebate directory at the front of the store.Rite Aid store coupons, single check rebates, and manufacturer coupons can all be combined for great savings.

Here’s how you do a SCR deal at Rite Aid:1. Buy the rebate item at Rite Aid. Keep your receipt.2. Create a SCR account at riteaid.com3. Once logged into your SCR account, enter the receipt information. Within a day or two, the rebate will show whether it was accepted or not (as long as you buy the correct stuff, it will be accepted).I don’t use the item until I make sure the rebate shows up in case I need to return it.4. Submit that month’s rebates at the end of the month. You can only “submit” your rebates one time each month. For example, if you hit the “submit” button on January 15, you cannot do any rebates that may come up for the rest of January. You will want to wait until the end of the month to submit.5. Rite Aid will mail you one check that can be cashed at your bank or at Rite Aid for cash.CVSBefore You Pay - sign up for a CVS Extra Care card.

·This can be done in-store or online. Once you have your card, create an account at CVS.com and register your card. This way you will be able to view your rewards online and earn rewards when making online purchases. It is important to check “Yes” when asked if you would like to receive emails from CVS. If you include your phone number, they can look up your number without the card.

Coupons

weekly ads

coupon booklets found in the store (released periodically)

coupons that print at the kiosk inside the door

coupons e-mailed to you

What Are Extra Care Bucks– You earn Extra Care Bucks (otherwise known as ECBs) by purchasing qualifying items. Each time you purchase one of these items and use your Extra Care card, a slip will be printed at the bottom of your receipt showing the amount you have earned.

Always scan your Extra Care Bucks card at the kiosk when you enter the store for more coupons.The slips can be used like cash, though they do have some restrictions: prescriptions, gift cards, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards and are excluded (restrictions may vary by area) and no cash back can be given if the ECBs you are paying with total more than your actual total.

Remember to save your slips and keep them in a safe place. Each slip has a barcode which the cashier will have to scan when you check out. The barcode links them to your Extra Care account so they can only be used by you with your card. They also have expiration dates, usually a month, and even though some cashiers can “push through” expired ECBs, you don’t want to risk losing them.

ECB deals can be found in the weekly flyer and list how many of an item can be purchased and still earn ECBs. This limit usually ranges from 1 to 5 of each item.

You will also earn 2% of your in-store and online purchases in the form of ECBs and $1 in ECBs for every two prescriptions purchased in-store or online. These ECBs will print out on the bottom of your receipt once every three months. Remember to have your Extra Care card scanned with each purchase or your account with not be given credit.

One of the biggest days for deals at CVS is Thanksgiving.I will often do multiple transactions on this day or if I have a lot of deals so I don’t end up with lots of ECBs to use.If there is a line, be courteous & go to the back of the line after each transaction.